IELTS General Reading Practice Test 23 With Answers
IELTS General Reading Practice Test 23 With Answers
Section 1
Question 1-14
You should spend about 20 minutes to complete this task.
Read the text below and answers questions 1-14 on your answer sheet.
Read the text below and answer Questions 1-7.
MOBILE GARBAGE BINS
A
WEBER only uses special impact-resistant polyethylene (HDPE) from major suppliers for manufacturing mobile garbage bins from plastic. This means that quality variations of the finished products can be avoided. All raw materials have been tested for outdoor use and are sufficiently UV-stabilised. The employment of these high-quality raw materials allows using our mobile waste containers over an extremely wide temperature range from -40 °C to +80 °C.
B
Optimised design for many years of use:
Sustained quality and ruggedness of the domestic waste bins must prove itself in practice. The manufacturer Weber optimises its products with this intent. Optimally dimensioned wall thicknesses and optimised design of the areas exposes to stresses and loads ensure ruggedness and long service life of the WEBER recycling bins.
C
Certified two 2 and four 4 wheel mobile garbage bins with guaranteed quality
All mobile waste containers are certified by an independent testing agency. Certification includes the criteria of the European Mobile garbage bins Standard EN 840 and the additional requirements of the RAL quality mark RAL GZ 951/1. Not only a type sample is certified here but the production of the wheeled refuse bins is regularly monitored, to ensure that series products consistently meet the certified requirements as well.
D
All mobile two 2 and four 4 wheel wheelie bins have received the German GS symbol for Tested Safety without exception. The regulations of the GS symbol are legally stipulated in the Federal Republic of Germany. For example, it includes compliance with AfPS GS 2014:01, i.e. testing and assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) when awarded the GS symbol. The regulation was created by the Committee for Product Safety (AfPS) and specifies limits for these carcinogenic substances.
E
ISO 9000 and ISO 14000 Certified Company
Abfallbehälter & Container Weber GmbH & Co. KG operates a Quality Management System according to ISO 9001 and Environmental Management System according to ISO 14001. Integrated production checks and product examinations ensure consistent high quality and numerous environmental aspects with the production of our domestic waste bins. Quality and environmental management systems are monitored regularly by external certifying agencies.
F
Robustness and durability through high-grade materials and solid wall thicknesses. High-quality domestic waste bins and recycling containers from Weber, directly from the manufacturer.
Questions 1-7
IELTS General Reading Practice Test 23 With Answers
Look at the six advertisements above, A-F.
For which facts are the following statements true?
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
1. They have both household bins and recycling receptacles.
2. The mobile waste storage bins can withstand a wide range of conditions.
3. They have been tested for safety.
4. They will last a very long time.
5. They are checked by outside agencies.
6. They meet many requirements.
7. They are made from strong materials and are protected from the suns rays.
Read the text below and answer Questions 8-14.
EMPLOYEE ANNUAL LEAVE AND PAY
Taking annual leave
The Act provides for a basic annual paid leave entitlement of 4 weeks, although an employee’s contract could give greater rights.
It is for your employer to decide when annual leave may be taken, but this is subject to a number of conditions. Your employer must take into account your family responsibilities, opportunities for rest and recreation that are available to you and to consult with you (or your union) at least one month before the leave is to be taken. In addition, annual leave should be taken within the appropriate leave year or with your consent, within 6 months of the relevant leave year. Further holding over (also known as carrying-over) of annual leave at your wish is a matter for agreement between you and your employer.
Holiday pay
Pay in respect of annual leave has paid in advance at the normal weekly rate. If your pay varies because, for example, of commission or bonus payments, your pay for your holidays is the average of your pay over the 13 weeks before you take holidays.
Calculating Annual Leave:
Under Section 19 (1) of the Act, you have entitled to a basic annual paid leave entitlement of 4 weeks. There are 3 different ways of calculating your annual leave entitlement:
- Based on the employee’s working hours during what has called the leave year, which runs from April to March. An employee who has worked at least 1,365 hours in a leave year has entitled to the maximum of 4 working weeks’ paid annual leave unless it is a leave year in which they change employment. Many employers use the calendar year (January-December) instead of the official leave year to calculate entitlement.
- By allowing 1/3 of a working week for each calendar month in which the employee has worked at least 117 hours.
- 8% of the hours worked in the leave year, subject to a maximum of 4 working weeks.
An employee may use whichever of these methods gives the greater entitlement. When calculating the entitlement, employers should include all hours worked including time spent on annual leave, maternity leave, parental leave, force majeure leave, adoptive leave or the first 13 weeks of carer’s leave.
An employee who has worked for at least 8 months entitles to an unbroken period of 2 weeks’ annual leave.
Part-time work
Generally, the annual leave for part-time workers has calculated using the 3rd method, that is, 8% of hours worked. If you work full time for some months and the rest of the year you work part-time, you should calculate the leave for the full-time and the part-time periods of work separately.
Questions 8-14
IELTS General Reading Practice Test 23 With Answers
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text above?
In boxes 8-14 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information present
8. The employer can say when an employee can take their annual leave.
9. You can be paid double for any annual leave you take during quiet work times.
10. Leave is normally 4 weeks in one year.
11. You can have more leave if you ask through written permission.
12. Any employee who has worked for more than 10 months without a break, can have 3 weeks off uninterrupted.
13. Part-time employee leave has decided from 8% of the hours worked.
14. Part-time workers has often invited to work for more hours during the year if they want to have more paid leave.
Section 2
Question 15-27
IELTS General Reading Test 23 Answer Key
You should spend about 20 minutes to complete this task.
Read the text below and answers questions 15-27 on your answer sheet.
Read the text below and answer Questions
BORDER CROSSING FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLES
This Border Crossing Guide designs for drivers and motor carriers operating commercial vehicles at Michigan’s international border crossings. This information will help you cross the border from the US into Canada, and from Canada into the US.
Your first point of contact at the border consists of Primary Inspection. The best way to clear customs at Primary Inspection is to make sure Customs gets information about your shipment before you set off, using the Pre-Arrival Processing System (PAPS). When using this you need to provide information about your shipment, and you also need to send proof of a current annual inspection for your vehicle, tractor and trailer.
.
Before you arrive at the border, make sure you have all your paperwork up to date and ready to present at Primary Inspection. You’ll need a photo ID in addition to your birth certificate or passport. Drivers must also turn on interior cab lights and open all interior drapes or blinds to sleeper areas for easy inspection.
If all of your paperwork is in order and was processed ahead of time, you will be released at the primary lane and this may be your only stop. If you are not a Canadian or US citizen, a visa is obligatory and you will also be required to complete an I-94 card. I-94 cards are available only at border crossings into the United States. Drivers who clear customs at Primary Inspection will be instructed to report to Immigration to fill out the 1-94 card and receive verbal clearance from a US official to proceed into the United States. The charge for the I-94 card is $6.
If your paperwork is not in order, you will be directed to Secondary Inspection. When you get there, look for the signs for Truck Inspection and follow these.
Questions 15-20
IELTS General Reading Practice Test 23 With Answers
Complete the flow-chart below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 15-20 on your answer sheet.
Procedure for border crossing
1. Before setting off
To speed up the border crossing, use PAPS.
For this, send your 15 ……………… details and current vehicle inspection documents.
↓
2. Before arriving at the border
Check that documents such as 16 ……………… and birth certificate/passport are ready for inspection.
Make sure the 17 ……………… are on inside the vehicle.
Check that the 18 ……………… in the vehicle can be easily seen.
↓
3. At the border (Primary Inspection)
This may be the only stop if paperwork is in order.
Non US/Canadian citizens must have a visa, and go to the 19 ……………… area to complete an I-94 card (there is a small 20 ……………… for this) and to receive verbal clearance.
↓
4. At the border (Secondary Inspection)
If there is a problem with paperwork, you will be sent to Truck Inspection.
Read the text below and answer Questions 21-27.
Appendix: Dealing with absence in the workplace
This appendix considers how to handle problems of absence and gives guidance about the authorised and unauthorised absence of employees from work.
The organisation should be aware of the rights of employees and in particular the requirements of the Equality Act 201O when making any decisions about absences of employees who are disabled. In these cases, the employer should consider what reasonable adjustments could be made in the workplace to help the employee. This might be something as simple as supplying an appropriate chair for the use of the employee. In cases where an employee suffers from an allergy caused by something in the workplace, the employer should consider remedial action or a transfer to alternative work.
.
If the absence, because of temporary difficulties relating to dependants, the employee may entitle to have time off under the provisions of the Employment Rights Act 1996. In cases where the employee has difficulty managing both work and home responsibilities, employees have the right to request flexible ways of working, such as job-sharing, and employers must have a good business reason for rejecting any such application.
Employers should investigate unexpected absences promptly and the employee should be asked for an explanation at a return-to-work interview. In order to show both the employee concerned and other employees that absence regards as a serious matter and may result in dismissal, it is very important that persistent absence is dealt with firmly and consistently. Records showing lateness and the duration of and explanations for all spells of absence should be kept to help monitor levels of absence or lateness.
.
If the employer wishes to contact the employee’s doctor for more information about a medical condition, he or she must notify the employee in writing that they intend to make such an application and they must secure the employee’s consent in writing. Consideration should be given to introducing measures to help employees, regardless of status or seniority, who may be suffering from stress. The aim should be to identify employees affected and encourage them to seek help and treatment.
Questions 21-27
IELTS General Reading Practice Test 23 With Answers
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 21-27 on your answer sheet.
Absence in the workplace
Employees’ rights
help with issues related to disabilities, e. g. provision of a suitable 21 ………………
provision of arrangements to deal with any work-related 22 ………………
time off work to deal with short-term problems of 23 ………………
possibility of arrangements that are 24 ……………… to help with domestic responsibilities
Recommendations to employers
make it clear that absence is a possible reason for 25 ………………
ask employees for consent before contacting their 26 ………………
identify employees affected by 27 ………………and provide support
Section 3
Question 28-40
IELTS General Reading Practice Test 23 With Answers
Read the text below and answer Questions 28-40.
Questions 28-34
IELTS General Reading Practice Test 23 With Answers
The text below has seven sections, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number i-x, in boxes 28-34 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
i. Sightings in Britain
ii. Origins of the name.
iii. Eating Habits
iv. Dwelling places
v. Sightings in the world
vi. Favourite places
viii. Amount of species
ix. Food storage facilities
x. Appearance and temperament
28. Section A
29. Section B
30. Section C
31. Section D
32. Section E
33. Section F
34. Section G
NUTHATCH BIRDS
A.
The name nuthatch derives from nut hacker, reflecting the bird’s method of opening up nuts by jamming them into a crevice then hammering at them. Old country names include mud dabbler and mud stopper, both of which note the bird’s curious habit of plastering mud around the entrance hole to its nest.
B.
Unlike the treecreeper, which only moves up the trunk of a tree, nuthatches will move both up and down. Once a bird restricted largely to south-eastern England, the 20th century witnessed a spread to the north, with breeding in Scotland first confirmed in 1989. Studies have shown that large gardens with oak trees provide the optimum habitat for this species. One of the reasons for the expansion seems to be the nuthatch’s increasing use of bird feeders and bird tables.
C.
As anyone who has nuthatches visiting their feeders will know, they are bold and aggressive, able to stand their ground when larger birds such as starlings attempt to intimidate them. They will take food from the bird table to store elsewhere: this can lead to sunflowers sprouting in expected places. Pairs are strongly territorial throughout the year. The fact that food stores within the territory strengthens the need to defend it.
D.
Though they will readily adopt nest boxes, they cannot resist plastering mud around the entrance hole, even if the latter is already the right size. The most favoured natural site for a nuthatch is the old nest hole of a great spotted woodpecker. Nuthatches are one of the nosiest woodland birds in the early spring but are relatively silent when breeding.
E.
There are 24 different species of nuthatches in the world: our bird has much the widest distribution, as it breeds continually from Portugal to Korea and Japan. The nuthatch has never been recorded in Ireland. Most nuthatches are highly sedentary, seldom moving far from where they hatched. The average distance travelled by a ringed adult nuthatch is less than a kilometre.
F.
No British-ringed individuals have ever been recovered abroad, while similarly no birds ringed on the Continent have been found here. Individuals breeding in Sweden and Norway have distinctive white underparts, unlike the peachy buff of our birds. Remarkably, a red-breasted nuthatch from North America spent nearly seven months at Holkham in Norfolk from October 1989 to May 1990.
G.
Perhaps surprisingly, the nuthatch has received little in the way of study in Britain, and most of our knowledge comes from work carried out in Sweden and Belgium. Numbers are known to fluctuate quite widely from year to year, probably reflecting the availability of seed during the winter.
Questions 35 – 37
IELTS General Reading Practice Test 23 With Answers
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 35-37 on your answer sheet.
As people who regularly see nuthatches will know, they are very confident and can be quite 35 ………………………….., so that they are able to defend themselves when larger birds come and try to scare them. They will take food from bird tables and feeders to store, this can lead to many flowers including 36 ………………………………… growing in many places. They often travel two together, and are tied to their dwelling place, because their food is housed here, they 37 ………………………. their territory.
Questions 38 – 40
IELTS General Reading Practice Test 23 With Answers
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 38-40 on your answer sheet.
NUTHATCH BIRDS
- The name nuthatch comes from nut hacker, which reflects the bird’s method of opening up nuts by jamming them into a crevice then 38 ………………………… at them.
- Old country names include mud dabbler and mud stopper, both of which note the bird’s curious habit of plastering mud around the entrance hole to its nest.
- Unlike the 39 ………………………….., which only moves up the trunk of a tree, nuthatches will move both up and down.
- Studies have shown that large gardens with oak trees provide the best 40 ……………………….. for this species.